Happy Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving greetings to all of you! 

I am traveling this year and my good spirits (referring to my mood and not alcoholic beverages...well actually both) have come with me.  I know for certain that my zest for food has done so as well. 

It looks to be a brilliant weather day here in the Northeastern/Mid-Atlantic states, a perfect day for a morning Turkey Bowl.  I do not expect to lace up my retired cleats nor don my weathered receiver gloves this year as more of my efforts will be spent nestled up to the dinner table. 

I do miss the Thanksgiving morning football game with old friends which was always slated to begin "sharply" at 10:00AM.  This starting time proved over and over to be quite ambitious as Thanksgiving Eve in Bronxville was, and probably still is, the grandest, how do I say, "go-out" night of the year.  Not at all conducive to an early out of bed scenario followed by plenty of athletic movements and half-hearted sprints.  Who knows though, the team has recently become quite fond of "American Football" and begin each practice warming up with something that very slightly resembles the sport.  Thus, for me, there may be a return to the gridiron forthcoming.  Maybe I should even wait by the phone for a call from the Jets coach Rex Ryan (speaking of big eaters) to suit up...

In any case, I hope that all of you celebrating the day have a wonderful feast of fellowship.  Thanksgiving truly is one of my favorite days of the year. 

Be well everybody.

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Fall Rankings Released...

The fall/preseason rankings have been released by the ITA and your Clipper (Men) have been placed placed at #14 Nationally and #1 in the East Region.  For a complete list of the national rankings click here. 

We will certainly be looking to make a homecoming to the top few teams in the country with the return of Andrey Boldarev and the addition of Illinois State University transfer Juuso Ojanen.  Andrey returns in top form and is eager to compete with the nation's elite players whereas Juuso has made an immediate splash by defeating Andrey at this year's ITA regional in September.

The Eastern rankings feature eight Clipper netmen including the top seven and also Ricardo Frey at #18.  It is quite an honor and achievement to have our full roster appear in the rankings and we will be working hard to stay there if not improve our position.  For a complete look at the eastern rankings click here.

The team has dedicated itself to a very disciplined approach going into the off season and leading up to the spring semester.  They are pushing harder than ever with their training and it is already paying dividends.  With this year's National Championships being held in Arizona, where the average temperature is scheduled to be in the high 90's F, player fitness will definitely be an issue and we will not accept conditioning as an excuse for poor performance if we are fortunate enough to qualify.

Check back soon for the release of the spring schedule.  We will continue to travel as much as possible to compete versus the top teams in the country including #1 Armstrong Atlantic State and #2 West Florida.

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We were rained out today and will play tomorrow at 8am.  If we win, we will play again in the afternoon.  A tough task for sure for any of the teams advancing but I would certainly like to be advancing...

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Waiting...

Yes sir, more waiting.  Well, I guess not just waiting in general, but waiting to play our match.  Trying to find out if we are on time.

Actually had a little NCAA sponsored breakfast today.  Enjoyed some unripe fruit and murky coffee.  Did the trick.  Met up with a few of the guys that wanted some eats before the 9am cut off.  I must give props to good old coach Tarangioli who suggested a gym visit.  Thus, we went to get our workout on.  Oddly, as mentioned earlier, there is a $5 daily fee to use the hotel gym but we coughed up the cash.  I tried to charge it to the room of Lynn Coach Mike Perez but it was a cash only establishment.

In any case, the gym offers 360 degree views of the Ohio which made the treadmill a nicer experience.  Not that impressed with the weights and so forth but what can you do.

We will get a bit of a hit at the off site courts perhaps and then over for the match at 5pm...we hope.

You can follow along here I hope.  If not try this one and click on our match and then to live stats.

Off to Panera for lunch my friends.  I hope to have good news for you later.

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Another day down...

Another day in Louisville folks and I guess I just think it is time to get this thing started.  Lets play some tennis.  Of course, with our starting time of 5pm, which could be delayed, who knows if we will get on the courts at all.  I guess we could shorten the NCAA sanctioned 15 minute pre-match warm-up if we need to.

We had a nice day touring the area and learning a bit about legendary explorers Lewis and Clark and also York.  Also, over to Panera for lunch and a team's worth of cinnamon rolls.  We did indeed venture over to the Tom Sawyer courts for a 3pm practice.  However, the site is a bit of a hike from the hotel...not particularly ideal honestly.  As luck would have it, the NCAA actually let our entire team party of 11 step foot onto the site.  That is a win for sure.

The fellas look pretty solid and ready to battle versus Grand Canyon University.  I had a chance to watch our opponents play as they were also practicing at Tom Sawyer.  They looked very strong to me and this will certainly be a tough match.  I would not be surprised to see a 5-4 either way.  The one difficulty is that there are no lights at the site and given our late starting time, I worry that we may not get the match finished before darkness.  Who knows, maybe it won't be what I expect.

We crossed the Ohio river to Indiana for dinner at the Outback Steakhouse as per the players wishes.  Of course, after steak the night before, I was not ready to stomach another slab of cow.  Thus, I had the shrimp and a delicious sweet potato.  Not bad.

We had a brief team meeting to remind the players of what to expect and then off to the hotel atrium again for some mingling.  We were blessed by a cameo guest appearance by NCAA National Women's Coach of the Year Simon Earnshaw from Armstrong Atlantic.  Simon is always good for a good story or two and many laughs.  He has done a great job this year and really deserves any recognition available.  I can only hope that some day I am able to figure out how to achieve such success and how to distribute the "bags of cash".

Well it is definitely bed time for Bonzo.  Of course, I really do not need to rise early as I do not need to adhere to the NCAA breakfast schedule as I am still not credentialed.  However, I need some rest and I would like to get to the hotel gym tomorrow.  I may have to go to the ATM though as the Galt House hotel actually charges a daily or weekly fee to use the facilities...a great policy for an athletic national championship event full of athletes don't you think?

I look forward to the arrival of Ivan and Kathy of our Concordia athletic administration.  They are so helpful to us and really add to our chances of winning matches down here.  We will see them tomorrow.

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Good morning Louisville...

Rise and shine!

Well I am up.  Maybe the only one.  I finally got tired of touring the hotel and looking at the ceiling above my bed, which thankfully is clean (the ceiling and the hotel by the way).  So here is a post:

As mentioned, the hard-working coaching staff did head over to Morton's Steakhouse for a meal last night.  I think we deserved it.  Sadly, the NCAA does not allow for more than your traveling party of 9 to attend the opening ceremonies.  Thus, our players went to Churchill Downs without us as we have brought along 9 players.  Too bad for me as a huge horse racing fan but maybe another time.  In any case, the reviews were positive and those that were able to attend had a nice time.  We certainly ate well at Morton's and it helped to ease the disappointment.

We met up with coaches Schwartz and Tasso in the hotel atrium for the remainder of the NY Rangers game and enjoyed the fellowship and the 3-0 win for the blueshirts.  Glad the bartender, who resembles the lead singer for the popular 80's progressive rock band "The Thompson Twins", was able to find the game and actually say a few words.  He was about as sullen a fellow as you will find and probably better suited to be a night watchmen with no necessary human interaction.

The bed felt pretty good at the end of the day.  I had the room temperature down to about 63 F so a good sleep avec (French for with) ear plugs was had by me.  Again, no access to the breakfast as we only have 9 passes hence the hotel tour and search for some sustenance.

Let's see what the day has in store for us.  We plan to practice at the tournament site at 3pm so perhaps I will find the hotel gym for a workout.  Also, I would like to walk around the neighborhood and see what is out there.  I hope I will be let onto the tournament grounds by the NCAA.  Who knows...

Have a great day!

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Louisville

Well, we arrived safely and are ready to begin the quest.  A bit of an early start via Southwest Airlines as we were on the 7:30am flight to Louisville through Baltimore.  Of course, gone are the days of getting to the airport 20 minutes before departure.  As a result, an unfriendly 4:45 alarm this morning.

This was my first time flying Southwest and experiencing the no assigned seat policy.  However, not to worry, I was in group A, which is good, for both legs of the trip and found myself in the aisle and bulkhead.  Not too shabby Clipper fans.

We are staying in the Galt House, in downtown Louisville which overlooks the Ohio river.

We enjoyed a bit of lunch and then off to the practice courts.  We had to find our own accommodations as practice in not allowed at the tournament site until tomorrow.  We found courts at Central Park just a few miles away and were surprised to find very nice courts...far better that what we experienced at Merrimack.  Very nice temperatures today and pretty decent hitting.  We hit for about an hour and then vacated the courts to a patiently waiting Ouachita Babtist squad.  Had a chance to meet Coach Ward, a nice guy.

Tonight is the opening ceremony which will be held at Churchill Downs.  Unfortunately, the NCAA only provides for 9 team members.  Since we are travelling with 11 Coach Neil and I will not attend.  Perhaps we will take the opportunity to find the local Morton's for a meal on the college.  Sorry about that Ivan...

Ok folks, gotta go.  The rental van I was given has faulty brakes and the tow truck is coming to take it back to the airport.  The fine people at Enterprise will be leaving me with an alternate minivan.  Hope it is a good one.

It is great to be in the great state of Kentucky, home of your 2012 National Basketball Champion Wildcats.  I hope I do not get accosted as I wear my UK apparel proudly.

I will be back to you soon.

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Graduates

A hearty congratulations to our two graduates Dane Ostilly and Geza Bazula.  We are proud of you and wish you well in the future.  Of course, there is still some work left to be done on the tennis court but for now, celebrate your accomplishment.

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NCAA's...

Greetings Clipper fans...

It's that time of the year again.  It's time to get excited for another NCAA Championship quest.  We have qualified for the "Sweet 16" in Louisville, Kentucky (a town that I normally think poorly of due to my Wildcat allegiance). 

We will square off against Grand Canyon University in the round of 16 and expect a great match.  Clearly, our quarter looks like the most competitive of the four.  Click here for the bracket.

I look forward to blogging the event from today up until we hit our last ball.  Check back for updates daily.

All the best to my Clipper family.

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SBTB:NOW! Blog est.2001: BELL Coming Soon to MTV2

SBTB:NOW! Blog est.2001: BELL Coming Soon to MTV2: "Saved by the Bell" will premiere on it's new home MTV2 beginning on March 12! BELL will air weekdays beginning at 12pm with 4 episodes and ...

Flying Jason Quintana...

Live Updates...

Follow todays match on Twitter @ASSUTennis

A Win...

Finally we were able to get over the hump and tally a win versus Flagler. I was certainly happy to win but we still have much work to do. That being said, we are pretty tough to beat in certain spots. We will need the other positions in the lineup to progress to that level in the near future if we are to achieve our goals.

We continue to struggle in doubles and we seem to have difficulty playing at a high level and with intensity at #2 and #1. David and Andreas have found the good tennis and are a perfect 3-0 on the spring trip. I must admit that I am very surprised about our lack of success at #2. Dani and Geza are a heck of a team and should be winning. It is really up to the coaching staff to figure out what is going wrong and to correct it. We need that point day in and day out. #1 is a bit of a mystery. We simply have not been able to get a pair playing at a high level at the same time. They have done a great job competing with the best but have had trouble keeping the intensity level high for an entire match. We have seen opponents do just that and that has been the difference between winning and losing. I do believe that we have seen great improvement and it should continue. I have confidence in our guys and they are open to learn and hungry to improve.

Versus Flagler, we went down again early 2-1 after the doubles. Although this was not what we were looking for or expecting in our bounce-back effort, I did feel very confident that we would be able to win five, if not six singles matches.

As I mentioned, we are pretty tough in spots. Benas played very good first and third sets and really fought hard. He is representing himself well and is improving each and every day. Benas is a young man who works very hard on and off the court and has the right attitude to succeed. I could not be more pleased. He plays with energy and intensity and that is responsible for his solid play. It was nice to see him get a win. Dani was solid defeating his opponent rather easily at #2. Andreas continues to battle but could not gain a win in another close match. Once he adjusts to the out of doors, he will be a solid top of the lineup player. David is just a machine. He does not give opponents an inch and was able to win while surrendering only one game. He has been a very bright spot on the trip. Mark is working hard at #5 and was able to win routinely. He will have to continue to work hard on fitness and maintain focus throughout an entire match. I still believe that he will drop very few matches this season. Tomasz cruised to victory and is beginning to find his singles game. He certainly has the tennis ability to succeed and will be a very tough out when his conditioning and intensity match his ability.

When all was said and done, we won the match 6-3 versus a tough Flagler team. It was great to get a win and gain some momentum going into the Armstrong match. In my opinion, along with many other coaches, Armstrong is the best team in the nation and maybe one of the best teams we have seen recently in NCAA D2. They are really not easy to beat at any of the nine positions. However, I think that we will be ready to play our best match of the young season and will compete very well. I think that we may see some nice surprises on Friday. It is very important to have a strong showing. We feel that we are a better team than our play and results have shown and that we should really be 3-0. We are essentially just two points away from being undefeated. Of course the record is what it is and our opponents have done a better job on the big points. They have been tougher and have deserved to win.

There is some good news as Geza seems to be feeling better and may be ready to play singles at the top of the lineup. It will really help us to get him back in there and move everybody down a spot. I am sure he is ready to give us a big effort.

We have a practice day today and will continue to work hard on improving each day. I will be killing it at the gym and also looking forward to another run on the beach. It is funny how beach scenery makes a run much easier and more enjoyable. I will miss that when we return back to NY or at least until there is a Bronxville beach.

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Another Loss 5-4...

I am certainly sorry to report that we lost another close one at Rollins Tuesday 5-4. Just as versus ERAU, there were some good things to take away from the match but the bottom line is that this is a match we should have won and one we will have to start to win as we go forward.

Our doubles, although improved, seems not quite good enough to get the points that we need to be a success. Andy and David continue to win and really dominated their match. We were not able to secure a point at either #1 or #2 though. Benas and Tamasz are improving but still struggle with the doubles concepts. We also are having difficulty stepping up to seize the big points. They have been right there in every match but seem to blink in crunch time. At #2 we certainly expect to be successful with the talent and experience that we have. This has not yet translated into any wins however. Dani and Geza lost another tiebreaker and once again had match points. We are certainly beginning to understand what can make the difference between a win and a loss and that can be just one point in any of the 9 matches. As a result, we were down 2-1 after the doubles.

I fully expected that a 4 point singles rally was within reach. I really liked our chances at 4,5, and 6 and I was not wrong as we swept the lower spots in the lineup. However, we are still struggling at the top so far this season. Benas continues to play well but has run into very tough opponents. I believe that he will develop this season as he plays the top players in the country. Andreas had a very good match at #3 that went three sets but was unable to pull it out. Andy is playing well but has just not been able get wins yet. The real surprise for me was to see Dani get soundly defeated at #2. I thought that we were starting to see the real Dani and was expecting a good effort. We didn't see that on this day and that will be something to work on. If he can produce points for us in the top half of the lineup we will be ok this year.

The good news is that we have been able to play two good matches against two very good teams. This is great experience for us and will only help us to improve going forward. As I have said quite a few times, we just need to get better every day and we will be fine in May. That being said, we have played two winnable matches, matches that we were able to win last year and in the past. Lets hope that we can build something special in the near future.

We are off to Flagler at 2:30pm today. It is another windy one but I am sure that we are all accustomed to that at this point. We will need a big response today and I will be asking for nothing but maximum statement effort. I do not expect Flagler to give us the match as they have hit some hard times recently and will be looking to bounce back themselves. We shall see.

I will try to be back on twitter today as my phone battery allows. Either way, I hope to report a win later on today.

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